Hong Kong CNN —China and the Philippines on Sunday accused each other of causing collisions in a disputed area of the South China Sea, the latest in a string of maritime confrontations between the two countries that have heightened regional tensions.
In a statement Sunday, the Chinese Coast Guard accused the Philippines of violating international marine law and threatening the navigation safety of Chinese ships.
In 2016, an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines in a landmark maritime dispute, which concluded that China has no legal basis to claim historic rights to the bulk of the South China Sea.
In September, the Philippine Coast Guard released video of a Filipino diver cutting a Chinese-installed floating barrier in a disputed area of the waterway that had prevented Filipino boats from entering.
It came just days after after the Philippine Coast Guard accused China’s maritime militia of turning vast patches of coral near the Palawan island chain into a bleached and broken wasteland.
Persons:
Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal
Organizations:
Hong Kong CNN, Coast Guard, National Task Force, West Philippine, BRP, Chinese Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard
Locations:
Hong Kong, China, Philippines, South China, Philippine, Ayungin, Spratly, BRP Sierra Madre, Manila, Beijing, China’s, The Hague, Palawan